61 finner (he that is a proud, ll:owt-hearted wretch, knows nothing of this matter) it opens the eye and now the humbled !inner begins to fee (like the manin the Goff>el) fome light and gl_immering about his underll:anding, that he can look mto, and dtfcern the Ephcf. 3· 4• fpiritual thmgs of God. . 2 . Then the Lord lays before him all the riches of the trcafure of his grace; no fooner hath he given him an eye, but then he layes colours before hun (the Jmftarchable nchcs ofChrift) that he may fee and look, and fall in love with thofe fweet treafures ; and then faith the foul 0 that mercy, andgrace, and pardornverc mine. 0 that myfins were done away! the Lo;d faith, I will rc(rejl! them that arc heavy-laden; then faith the foul, 0 that I had that rffrejhing! yoltJl,al/ have rcft, fatth God; 0 that I had reft too,fauhthejoul! And now the foul begins to look after the mercy and compaffion which is laid afore tt. 3 . The Spirit of the Lord cloth wttndfe N certtfie throug\~ly and effeCl:ualy to the foul,that this mercy in Chriil: belongs unto htm,and Wtthout thts,the foul of an humblel broken-hearted !inner bath no ground to go unto Chnll:: what good doth 1t an hungry ll:omack to hear that there is a great deal of cheer and dainties provided for fuch and fuch men and he have no part therein ? Take a Beggar that bath a -thoufand pounds told befo;e him (he may apprehend the li.nn of fo much gold; and fo much filver) but what is all that to me (faith he) ifin the mean time I die and ffarve? It falls out in this cafe with a brokenhearted finner, as with a prodigal childe: The Prodigal he hath fpent his means, and abufed his Father, and now is there a Famine in the Land, and poverty is befallen him ; he knows indeed there is meat and cloaths enough i.n his Fathers Houfe,but (alas !)what can he expeCt thence but his Fathers heavy difpleafure? if a man lhould fay, Go to your Father, he will give you a portion again; would he (think you) believe this? No, (would hefay) it is ~'Y Father I have ojfe~ded, and will he now receive11>C .' yet lhould a man come and tell htm, that he heard hts Father fay fo, and then !hew him a Certificate under his Fathers hand that it was fo, this would fure draw him into fome hope that his Father meant well towards him : So it is with a !inner when he is apprehenfive of all his rebellions; ifa man lhould tell fuch a foul, Go to God, and he will give you abundance of mercy and compaffion ; the foul cannot J:>elieve it, but thinks, What, I mercy,? no no: Blef[ed are they that walk._humbly before God> and conform their lives to hjs Word, let them tak! it; bu.t for me, it is mercy I have oppofed, it isgrace I have rejcflcd; no mercy, nog-race for me : But now if God fend a Melfcnger from Heaven, or if it come under the hand ofhis Spirit, that he will accept of him, and palfe by allhis fins, this makes the foul grow into fome hopes, and upon this ground it goes unto the Lord: But here obfcrve me, that none either in heaven or · in earth,but only Gods Spirit can make this Certificate; when it is !light, all the candles in the world cannot take away the darknelfe: fo all the means 0.f:grace and falvation, all the candle-light ofthe Miniil:ery, they are all good helps, but the darknelfe of the night will not be gone, before the SunofR~ghteoufneffe arifc in our hearts. Hence it is that it proves fo difficult a matter to comfort. a dill:relfed foul; I ]hall o1.(1 d".y perijh, fatth Dav>d; I Jha/1 one day go down to hell, fatth the foul : l,et all the Minill:ers under heaven cry, Comfortye, comfort ye: 11-ill he replyes, I mercy ? a~d I comfortv ? will the Lord pardon me? I: ~ mercy I have defpiftd and trampled unde; myfeet ; and I mercy ?no, no: Thus we Mmtll:ers obferve by expenence, fome that mthetr own apprehenfions are gone to the bo~tome ofhell, we make known to them Reafons,and Arguments, and Promtfes~but nothmg takes p1ace;what's the Reafon? 0 none but Gods Spirit can do it? he mull: etther come from heaven, and fay, Comfortye, wn:fort ye, my people, ,or, it tvill never preva.l: let me fpeak therefore to you that are Mintlrers you do well to labour .to gtvecomfort to a poor fainting foul; bnt alwayes fay, Cornfo;t, Lurd: 0 J,prd, fay ;mto thu poor fMI, that thou art hi&falvation. ' Sect. -3 Hope in Chrift. ··- ·THe minde being. thus enlightened, the Lord- c-alls on the·.atf.eCtlons; C~~e defire: .. Come, love : but the fir~ voyce isN Hope, rtow H•pe is afaculty of th~ {0,ulthat looks out f~t mercy, and :watts f~r. the fame; So the Apoll:lc, ,Jihil. 1. 20, ,Acf~rdi'?g to "'I'?Y earncft. <xpetlatJO~: Itts afimtlttude taken: from a man that tooks after anpther· and Phit· 1. io. tfts up ht_mfelf as h_tgh as he may to fee ifany be coming after him; fa here· th~ foul fiands as .tt were a ttp-toe, eltpe{1ing wheu the Lord comes; hl.' hath heMd"th~ Lord fay 1
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